A close-up look at what Americans do on Saturday nights draws on travels through-out the country to describe classic weekend situations, types of people, places and communities, entertainment patterns, and other topics Held in almost reverential awe by many, Saturday night is an American icon, important to our culture and perhaps necessary to our psychological make-up, according to journalist Orlean. Traveling the country to find out what people do on Saturday night to make it so special, she attended a coming-of-age celebration for Hispanic girls in Phoenix known as a quinceanera ; a polka dance at Blob's Park in Jessup, Maryland; a snobbish New York socialite's dinner party; and a host of other activities each more fascinating than the last. Nonjudgmental, nearly as fun to read as the occurrences it describes, this fascinating book is also a powerful, incisive tract mapping out heretofore unexplored sociological terrain. An excellent addition to popular reading and sociology collections. -Mark Annichiarico, "Library Journal" Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.